Best Shows to Binge During Your Introvert Time

Posted by Melissa Girimonte on April 2, 2020

One of the top ways to practice self-care is to spend some quality time with a TV show, whether it's a comforting series you've seen a dozen times, or a show that you finally have time to sit down and watch. From comedies that will have you laughing out loud or period dramas that will sweep you up into their world, here are 20 shows to watch during your introvert time, plus some ways you can binge with friends from the comfort of your home.

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Vanderpump Rules

Where to stream: Seasons 7-8 on STACKTV,
Number of seasons: 8
Recommended if you like: Any of The Real Housewives Franchise

Restaurateur Lisa Vanderpump gives viewers a look behind the scenes of her ever-expanding empire of restaurants and lounges in this Real Housewives of Beverly Hills spinoff. The true appeal of this series is the romantic dramas and workplace tiffs among the staff at SUR, the West Hollywood hotspot owned by Vanderpump and her husband, Ken Todd.

Adult Swim

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Joe Pera Talks with You

Where to stream: Global TV App
Number of Seasons: 2
Recommended if you like: Mr. Rogers’ calming voice meets Parks and Recreation’s small town humour

This sweet and funny show follows a young choir teacher as he introduces you to some of his favourite things. Sounds simple, but in a time when the world is moving faster than ever, this sweet, short show captures the wonder and humour of everyday moments perfectly. Joe Pera’s ASMR-like voice and the calm pace makes this tender, kind comedy a refreshing escape to northern Michigan.

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Supergirl

Where to stream: Global TV App
Number of seasons: 5
Recommended if you like: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Smallville and other DC Comics character driven storylines

The third series set in the Arrowverse, Supergirl follows Superman's cousin, Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) and her adventures protecting the people of National City. Of course, this show is about way more — you'll get invested in the Danvers sister relationship, their romantic complications and everything else.

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Property Brothers

Where to stream: Global TV App
Number of seasons: 7 (13)
Recommended if you like: Love it or List it or other reno-porn shows

Twin brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott are the Property Brothers. One identical twin is an expert in real estate, the other is a licensed contractor with sweet renovating abilities — together, the pair hook families up sniff out, purchase and transform fixer-uppers into dream homes. It's the kind of reality show that gives you all the family feels.

National Geographic

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Brain Games

Where to stream: Global TV App
Number of seasons: 8
Recommended if you like: Interactive television shows that blow your mind

Curious about how we see colour? Want to know how attraction works? This informative series entertains as it informs — offering interactive exercises for its audiences. With activities like tricking your brain to seeing colours and games to figure out the chemistry of couples — Brain Games is a fun show for literally everyone.

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Parks and Recreation

Where to stream: Prime Video
Number of seasons: 7
Recommended if you like: The Office

This show is about so much more than Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), a mid-level government worker at Pawnee, Indiana’s Parks and Recreation department. It’s a story about friendship, overcoming failure, and chasing after your dreams no matter how outrageous they may seem. The beloved comedy not only features an impressive ensemble cast, it’s also responsible for bringing “Treat Yo’Self” and “Galentine’s Day” to the world.

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RuPaul's Drag Race

Where to stream: Netflix, Crave
Number of seasons: 12
Recommended if you like: America’s Next Top Model

For 12 seasons, “Supermodel of the World” RuPaul Charles and a panel of judges have made it their mission to find America’s next drag superstars. The reality competition series has become a global phenomenon while bringing drag to a mainstream audience. In addition to the OG series — currently in its twelfth season -- you can also make your way through four seasons of All-Stars or hop across the pond for a season of Drag Race UK.

The Good Place

Where to stream: Seasons 1 - 3 Netflix (Season 4 only available for purchase)
Number of seasons: 4
Recommended if you like: Parks and Recreation

Four people find themselves in the afterlife but instead of resting in peace, they end up on a quest to define what makes a person “good.” The quirky, cerebral comedy starring Kristen Bell and Ted Danson will not only make you laugh out loud, it’ll have you questioning the meaning of life.

The Office

Where to stream: Netflix
Number of seasons: 9
Recommended if you like: 30 Rock or Parks and Recreation

Based on the British series of the same name, the popularity of this mockumentary about the workers at a paper company in Scranton continues to grow years after it ended its network run. No matter what kind of mood you’re in, there’s a storyline for you, whether it’s getting swept up in an office romance or cheering on rival coworkers as they try to out-prank each other.

Outlander

Where to stream: Seasons 1 - 4 on Netflix, Season 5 currently on StackTV
Number of seasons: 5
Recommended if you like: The Crown or Downton Abbey

When an English combat nurse in 1945 is transported back in time to Scotland in 1743, her life is forever changed. While trying to return to her time, she is forced to marry a young Scotsman named Jamie Fraser, and ends up falling passionately in love with him. From the breathtaking settings to the steamy sex scenes, it’s the perfect escape.

Friday Night Lights

Where to stream: Prime Video
Number of seasons: 5
Recommended if you like: This is Us, Parenthood

On the surface, this may look like a show about high school football in small town Texas, but it is so much more. Throughout its five seasons, it tackles hard-hitting issues while making us feel like a part of this close-knit community. At the heart of it all are Eric (Kyle Chandler) and Tami Taylor (Connie Britton), one of TV’s best couples ever and the catalyst for change in the fictional town of Dillon — him as the football coach and her as guidance counselor.

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Vida

Where to stream: Crave
Number of seasons: 2
Recommended if you like: One Day at a Time, On My Block

When two Mexican-American sisters — Lyn (Melissa Barrera) and Emma (Mishel Prada) — return to their childhood home in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles for their mother’s funeral, they are forced to put their differences aside to deal with the failing family business. The show is not only captivating, it’s revolutionary in the way that it portrays queerness and gentrification in a way that we haven’t seen on TV before. Catch up on the first two seasons now before the third and final season premieres later this month.

Gilmore Girls

Where to stream: Netflix
Number of seasons: 7 plus Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Recommended if you like: Parenthood, Jane the Virgin

Now is the perfect time for an escape to the idyllic town of Stars Hollow where you can catch up with mother/daughter duo Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel), plus all of the quirky townspeople. Pour a giant cup of coffee, grab your favourite blanket, and get lost in the frenetic dialogue and Gilmore family drama.

Community

Where to stream: Prime Video, Netflix
Number of seasons: 6
Recommended if you like: The Office, Arrested Development

Head back to Greendale Community College and hang out with the study group as they navigate school, life, alternate realities and epic paintball wars. Laugh your way through every episode of one of the smartest, most inventive comedy series featuring an ensemble cast that includes Donald Glover, Alison Brie, Ken Jeong and Gillian Jacobs.

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Big Food Bucket List

Where to stream: StackTV
Number of seasons: 1
Recommended if you like: You Gotta Eat Here, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Join John Catucci as he travels across Canada and the U.S. crossing items off his ever-growing list of must-try restaurant dishes in this Food Network Canada original series. From Chicago deep dish pizza to Halifax donairs, you’re going to love every drool-worthy episode.

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Fleabag

Where to stream: Prime Video
Number of seasons: 2
Recommended if you like: Killing Eve, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Even if you haven’t watched Fleabag yet, chances are you’ve heard about this year’s award show season darling based on the one woman show by Phoebe Waller-Bridge who also plays the titular character. The dramedy, about a free-spirited yet highly flawed woman dealing with love, lust, family and loss is groundbreaking, especially in the way Waller-Bridge breaks the fourth wall and interacts with the viewers.

Schitt's Creek

Where to stream: Seasons 1-5 on Netflix, Seasons 1-6 on CBC Gem
Number of seasons: 6
Recommended if you like: Arrested Development

When things are feeling hopeless, there’s nothing like watching the story of a family that had and lost it all trying to crawl their way back to the top. Enter the formerly wealthy Rose family, forced to live in the small town of Schitt’s Creek that dad Johnny (Eugene Levy) once bought for his son David (Dan Levy) as a joke. Now in its final season, this hit Canadian comedy has broken barriers and become one of our country’s most beloved exports.

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Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Where to stream: Seasons 1-6 on Netflix, Season 7 available for purchase
Number of seasons: 7
Recommended if you like: Parks and Recreation, Saturday Night Live

Life is never dull for NYPD’s 99th Precinct in Brooklyn, especially when you have detectives like Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) and Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) on the case. The hilarious comedy survived cancellation and continues to be one of the funniest sitcoms out there.

Justified

Where to stream: Prime Video, FX Now Canada
Number of seasons: 6
Recommended if you like: Deadwood, The Shield

U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) is reassigned to his hometown of Harlan, Kentucky which he thought he’d escaped for good. Based on a short story by Elmore Leonard, what really sets this crime drama apart from the others is the chemistry between Raylan and Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins), a former friend and key person in an Appalachian crime family.

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You're the Worst

Where to stream: FX Now Canada
Number of seasons: 5
Recommended if you like: Catastrophe, Difficult People

When music publicist Gretchen (Aya Cash) meets author Jimmy (Chris Geere), a chaotic relationship begins. It takes rom-com tropes and twists them in darkly compelling ways, and shows a darker, more real side of relationships. Instead of sweeping changes that transform this duo into better people because of their love, it proves that the “fairy tale” isn’t right for everyone.

The Magicians

Where to stream: Seasons 1-4 on Prime Video, Season 5 on STACKTV
Number of seasons: 5
Recommended if you like: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Shadowhunters

A group of students is recruited to a prestigious academy where they not only learn that magic is real, but it’s also far more dangerous than any of them could’ve imagined. The compelling fantasy just wrapped its fifth and final season, so it’s the perfect time to binge it all from the beginning.

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Halt and Catch Fire

Where to stream: Netflix
Number of seasons: 4
Recommended if you like: Mad Men, Silicon Valley

Starting in the '80s and the early days of personal computing and ending in the '90s with the growth of the World Wide Web, this story follows four fictional players in the technological revolution: Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace), Gordon Clark (Scoot McNairy), Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis) and Donna Clark (Kerry Bishé). Seasons 2 and 3 are where it really shines after Cameron and Donna join forces on a project.

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Party Down

Where to stream: Crave/Starz
Number of seasons: 2
Recommended if you like: Veronica Mars, iZombie

This side-splitting ensemble comedy about a team of caterers working in Los Angeles until they get their big Hollywood break features an all-star cast including Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan and Jane Lynch. Each episode takes place at a different event, from an elaborate Sweet Sixteen party for the daughter of an obnoxious producer (played by Oscar winner J.K. Simmons) to the nuptials of George Takei.

The Fosters

Where to stream: Netflix
Number of seasons: 5
Recommended if you like: Good Trouble, The Bold Type

This series, about spouses Stef (Teri Polo) and Lena (Sherri Saum) and their multi-ethnic blended family, is trailblazing on so many levels, from its portrayals of LGBTQ themes, addiction and the foster care system. Its greatest legacy is defining what a family looks like, especially the strength of chosen family. It ended following five seasons, but two of its main characters, sisters Callie (Maia Mitchell) and Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) are currently starring in their spinoff, Good Trouble.

Together yet alone: Ways to binge with friends

Right now, you may be watching solo from the comfort of your home, but you can still schedule time with friends and stream something together! Thanks to video chat platforms like Zoom, Skype or Google Hangouts, you can all press play at once and share your reactions in real time — no matter which platform you use. If you’re planning a Netflix binge, consider adding Chrome extensions Netflix Party (which synchronizes video playback between you and your friends, and adds a group chat feature), or Wiretap Social (which allows you to comment along with friends and fans on your own time, no scheduling required) for an enhanced viewing experience.